Sunday, November 30, 2014

When I got help for my drinking problem, I realized I was a binge drinker. It was difficult for me to accept the fact that I was an alcoholic because I thought that alcoholics drank every single day, and could not function without a drink.

It was hard for me to accept help because of my misconceptions of alcoholics. I knew that my drinking became out of hand once I took my first sip, but since I wasn’t drinking all the time, I thought I was okay.

One day, my drinking got out of control, and I agreed to get help. I didn’t want my children to see their mommy drunk, and I didn’t want to lie to myself or my husband anymore.

The truth is if my husband was okay with me drinking, I probably would have drank every night. He hated when I drank, so we never had any alcohol in the house. He didn’t ever drink, so it wasn’t a problem for him.

Twice a month, I would plan days where I could get away from the house and drink the entire day. I would plan my month around these days. I planned what time I would start drinking so I could be sober by the evening.

I lied about having a drink, and usually made up some excuse as to why I was “sick” or needed to go to bed early.

Carrying my secrets took a toll on my marriage. My husband knew I was lying, but I didn’t want to admit it.

I finally decided to seek treatment after one day of binge drinking where I couldn’t stop myself. I actually felt something switch in my brain, and I couldn’t stop drinking, even though I knew I should.

Binge drinking does a lot of damage to the body as well as to personal relationships. It can cause heart problems, liver disease, anxiety, depression, and death.

Relationships can suffer from the strain of lies, secrets, and outrageous behavior binge drinking causes.

One of the topics in AA meetings sometimes people bring up is the first 30 days of sobriety. There were a few newcomers (people in their first 30 days of sobriety) that came to one of my regular meetings recently, and it brought back many feelings of my first 30 days.

I chose to go to a rehab for 30 days, and it was one of the most difficult choices I ever had to make. I didn’t want to leave my two babies for a month, I had never even spent the night away from them before. I had a thousand different reasons why I didn’t want to leave, but in the end, I did.

The first few days were extremely hard for me, I cried lots of tears, but then I started hearing the things I needed to hear.
I listened to my counsellors, people in my group, and speakers in AA meetings I attended.

The more I heard, the more I knew I belonged there. I was surrounded with people who were on the same path as I was, and we all wanted each other to succeed.

I worked extremely hard during my time in rehab. I completed all my assignments, journaled thoughtfully, and read the Big Book intently.
I had to face myself and be completely honest for the first time in my life.

For many years I lied to myself, friends, and family. I convinced myself that I didn’t have a drinking problem because I didn’t drink every day.
I binge drank twice a month, so how could I be an alcoholic? Well, it turns out I am.

Once I started to drink, it was never one or two, it always turned into three, four, five, etc. I could never predict my behavior, and I didn’t know if I would be an emotional wreck, angry, or happy.

Once I got out of treatment, I still needed to do a lot of work on myself. I went to 90 meetings in 90 days, but I failed to get a sponsor.

After three months, I relapsed, and had to start all over. I had to pull myself back up, get a sponsor, and prove to myself, husband, and family that I would do anything and everything to protect my sobriety.

Thankfully, I have been sober ever since, and now I do not take my sobriety lightly. I am grateful for entering an accredited alcohol rehabilitation center. I was able to connect with people there that I can still turn to today.

Friday, November 28, 2014

On Halloween night, a plastic bag of methamphetamine was given to a little girl while she trick or treated in Hercules, CA.

Police say an 8-year-old girl was knocking on doors for candy in the Promenade area of Hercules and came home with a .1 gram bag of crystal methamphetamine. The powder was in a small zip-locked bag that her parents found after their daughter returned home.

Hercules police Sgt. Ezra Tafesse said, “This could have been intentional or it could have been accidental and we won’t know until we speak with the person who did this.”

Tafesse continued, “more than anything, we want to educate the public to inspect their children’s candy before giving it to them.”

The fear of Halloween candy tampering had been around for a long time. I was surprised to learn that there have been no documented cases of strangers poisoning candy. A couple tragic cases turn out to be parents or family members intentionally poisoning their children’s candy and blaming it on strangers.

Although there haven’t been documented cases of strangers poisoning candy, there have been many cases of pins, needles, and razor blades found in Halloween candy.

A child bringing home drugs instead of candy can be fatal. If ingested, methamphetamine pumps up the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. It can also cause sweating, headaches, irregular heartbeats, blurred vision, hot flashes, and dizziness.

If a high dose is ingested, it can cause dangerously high body temperatures, convulsions, confusion, and death.

It’s always a good idea to check your kid’s candy before letting them eat anything. Most days of the year, taking candy from strangers is a big taboo, but since Halloween is the exception, making sure our kids are safe is top priority.

Many times people under the influence of drugs or alcohol do things they would not normally do if sober. If you are struggling with addiction, there are many wonderful drug and alcohol treatment centers that offer help. Walking down the road to recovery is a life-changing and wonderful journey. Living a life of long-term sobriety is the best choice you can ever make.